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Substantial Upgrade

Longtime lurker, first-time poster:  My wife and I got into vinyl about five years ago and have been steadily collecting records ever since.  We love spinning records, and listen to a lot of jazz, pop, and classical music.  We started modestly with an AT LP120, and are lucky to have a friend who just happened to have a pair of Totem Rainmakers sitting in his garage collecting dust, which he gave to us, along with a TSC sub and all cables.  We have decided it is time to invest in our own system.

I've done a lot of research and read numerous threads on this topic here and elsewhere, and we've narrowed our choices down to two tables: the Rega P6 (in the $1500 price range) or the Feickert Volare (in the $3500 bracket).  Either table I'll be getting the Hana ML.  For phonostage, we've narrowed down to the MoFi UltraPhono or the Sutherland KC Vibe mk ii.  I'm hoping I can solicit opinions here on these choices and, in particular, whether the Feickert is going to make a difference for our use case.  Finally, I recognize that the speakers might be outclassed by these upgrades, but we are separately planning to move in the next year and I want to wait and see where our new listening room is going to be before investing in new speakers.    

Thanks in advance. 
bruinuclafan
jjss49's avatar
jjss49
6,612 posts
 
op

my 2 cents

i would choose the rega and save the $, pass on the feickert

with your sprout and totems the rega will be just fine and the extra $ on the feikert has dubious benefit... rega’s are plug and play, sound great... just set up the cart once properly and no more worries

re phono stages, those you have identifed are fine but i would suggest a lehmann audio black cube, stunningly neutral quiet dynamic sound at a very modest price


bruinuclafan OP
17 posts
 
@mijostyn - I was looking at the OL MK3A tonearm if I went with the Feickert.

@jjss49 - I'm leaning heavily toward the Rega if I go this route.  I will take a look at the black cube.  Thanks for the suggestion!  Are there other plug and play competitors to the Rega P6 you would suggest I look at?

Elliot - Thanks very much for the detailed response.  I've seen those reviews on the Feickert and they are certainly concerning.  For those reasons and the price differential I am leaning toward the Rega.  As far as sticking with the LP120, one reason I want to upgrade i that the 120 is loud.  I often listen at low volume and the motor sometimes overpowers the music.  Since you prefer direct drive, are there any you would recommend?  

@Glupson - Thank you.  

@ millercarbon - I'm in the U.S.  I'm not looking to avoid import duties as I am likely getting an import.  The point I was trying to make is that using budget as a guide seems highly flawed given the many and variable inputs that comprise a given table's market price.  
glupson
7,842 posts
 
bruinuclafan,

"Since you prefer direct drive, are there any you would recommend?"

Any newer Technics should do. You will have a hard time finding a bad review, professional or user's. However, SL-1500 C reportedly has had a flimsy lift in some units. Hopefully, it has been fixed since it came out.
audio2design
1,351 posts
 
elliottbnewcombjr, what an awesome post!
bruinuclafan OP
17 posts
 
@elliot btw I just looked at that photo of your TT--looks awesome!
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